Wearing-apparel.



R. THIERFELDER.

WEARING APPAREL.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 30, 1915.

1 ,206,171. PatentedNov. 28,1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

RICHARD THIERFELDER, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 PHOENIX KNIT-TING WORKS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A-*CORPORATION 0F WISCONSIN.

WEARINGTAPPAREL.

, Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Application filed October 30, 1915. Serial No. 58,73.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD THIERFELDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement infearing-Apparel, (Case 1,) of which the following is a'full, clear,concise, and exact description, reference being had to theacoompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to wearing 'apparel and is concerned with thesupport of such articles upon ones person.

More particularly my invention has to do with the adequacy and comfortof the sup'- port and with the efiicient distribution of the strain uponthe garment and it is the purpose of my invention to provide an im'-provement whereby both of these objects are at once accomplished.

Although it will appear to those skilled in theart that my invention isadapted to any adaptable type of woven garment, I have in mindespecially its applicability to stockings wherein excessive strain orimproperly distributed strain results in the rupture of the weave tocause what are commonly known as runs, to say nothing of thediscomfiture to which the wearer is subjected and the absence of'uniform smoothness. I shall therefore illustrate and describe in detaila stocking employing my invention, as an example thereof, to instructthose skilled in the art, but shall claim my invention in any adaptableuse where it may be of advantage.

As applied to a stocking, I provide a apwhich, in formation, is in thenature of a circular plait, a seam simultaneously forming the completecircular plait and forming a barrier to the concentratedtransmission ofthe 4strain incident to an applied garter from the upper portion ofthestocking to the lower portion thereof.

In order to describe my invention in detail I shall refer to theaccompanying drawing, in which, y

Figure 1 illustratesa stockingemploying the features of my invention,Fig. 2 is a sectional view, in part, taken on the plane of the 4line 2,'2 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, andFigs.

3 and 4 are diagrammatic views which will be referred to.

The body of the stocking is illustrated at 5 and the foot thereof at 6.The top of the stocking is made in double thickness, in thev nature of ahem, as illustrated at 7, 7, the

twoA thicknesses being vjoined at 8. Below` the line 8, which, ofcourse, `extends entirely around the stocking, a plait 9 is formed, inthe manner illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3, this plait mined by aweft seam at 10this seam being preferably formed by Stitches made duringthe manufacture of the body of the stocking. This seam extends entirelyaround the stocking parallel to the line 8, which has been referred to.It is a matter of common practice to provide the upper part of thestocking with a different weave, and probably a different'material, fromthat 0f the lower part of the stocking, and my invention may be involvedwhether or not that popular practice is followed out.

'As illustrated, the plait 9, which forms a Hap, is provided near thetop of the stocking, but the width of plait or Hap is less than thedistance between the seam l0 and the upper end of the stocking. It willbe seen that the garter may be applied either lto the upper end of thestocking, at the double thickness 7, 7, or it may bel applied to theplait or flap 9, depending upon which gives a suiicient support but notan excessive strain. The provision of the seam 10 prevents theconcentrated transmission of the pull of the garter from the point abovethe seam, whether the garter is ap'-r plied to the parts 7, 7 or thepart 9, and effectively distributes the strain over a greater area sothat the strain may be properly met by the weave below. This preventspremature rupture of the weave and avoids runs, as hereinbefore pointedout.

It is obvious that, due to the overlapping of theplait and hem, when agarter is applied to the plait the leg of the wearer` will be protectedtherefrom by the double thickness of the hem, the friction then takingplace between the layers of the hem.

If desired, as shown in Fig. 4, the upper end of the double thickness 7,7 may be folded outwardly and downwardly back being deter? upon itselfand over the flap or'plaitl9, thus terminating below the top of saidhem, 10 securing a texture of quadruple thickness to whereby the leg ofthe wearer is protected which the garter may be applied, if desired.from contact with a garter attachment se- I- claim: cured to said plaitby the double thicknessl A stocking havingahem at the top thereof ofvsaid hem. and an inte ral circular plait formed by a In witnesswhereof, I hereunto subscribe I5 seam exten mg entirely around saidstockmy namethis 26th day of October, A. D. ing and located below saidhem, said plait 1915.

overlapping said hemupon the outside and RICHARD THIERFELDER.A Y

